(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a roving chip collecting system for a roving bobbin replacing apparatus. More particularly, it relates to a chip collecting system for a bobbin replacing apparatus that performs the operation of replacing the bobbins under delivery using suction pipes.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In a spinning frame, particularly in a ring spinning frame, rovings are drawn from bobbins suspended from the creel and fed to drafting parts locating below the creel. When the bobbins become empty or nearly empty as the feeding of rovings to the drafting parts proceeds, these bobbins must be replaced with new roving bobbins. In carrying out this replacement, the tail ends of the rovings of new bobbins must be spliced with those of the bobbins under delivery, or the rovings of the new bobbins must be inserted into the drafting parts of the spinning frame.
In order to promote energy saving in the spinning process, a bobbin replacing apparatus (bobbin changer) has been proposed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Mo. 62-57957, which performs the splicing or ending operation and bobbin replacing operation in sequence as it moves from one end to the other end of the spinning frame structure, and has already been put into practical uses. In this type of bobbin replacing apparatus, the tail ends of the rovings of new full bobbins (stand-by bobbins) are drawn out under suction and spliced with those of the bobbins under delivery (ending operation) by means of an ending device or splicer. In carrying out this operation, the tail ends of the rovings are trimmed so that the length of the rovings protruding from the holders of the splicer may be equal, and the chips of the rovings are collected in a roving chip collecting box or chamber provided in the bobbin replacing apparatus. When the chip collecting box is full, the roving chips are designed to be removed therefrom manually by an operator.
Since a number of spinning frames are installed in a spinnery within a limited space, smaller bobbin replacing apparatuses are in demand. Therefore, the capacity of the chip collecting chambers to be disposed in such apparatus is naturally limited. When a high yarn count is to be spun, the chip collecting chamber becomes full of chips after a single bobbin replacing operation for one spinning frame due to the great thickness of the rovings fed to the spinning frame. Accordingly, operators must frequently remove the roving chips from the chip collecting. Further, particularly when 100% cotton rovings or the like are used, which contain a large number of short fibers, the short fibers scatter when the roving chips are removed from the chip collecting chamber thereby contaminating the working environment.